


and when the daylight comes I'll have to go

by Sarahastro



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Gen, Philinda Secret Summer, Pre-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4421552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarahastro/pseuds/Sarahastro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil and Melinda spend an evening together in Baltimore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	and when the daylight comes I'll have to go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MelindaTheCavalryMay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelindaTheCavalryMay/gifts).



> This was written for melindathecavalrymay who prompted “Daylight” by Maroon 5. Thanks for introducing me to this great song!
> 
> This story is also inspired by the movies _Before Sunrise_ and _Before Sunset_.
> 
> Thanks to kitlee625, my beta reader, for all of her suggestions and help. Also, all of the Baltimore details are from her.
> 
> This story takes place sometime in the early 90's, hence the references to Homicide: Life on the Streets.

When May walks into Coulson’s office he is engrossed in paperwork, but as soon as he looks up and sees her his face breaks into a smile. “I heard you were in town.”

“Not for long. I’m heading out on another mission tomorrow morning. Any chance you’re free for a drink?”

“With you, of course.” He glances down at his desk. “I have some more work to do before I can leave. Where can I meet you?”

“I’m staying in temporary housing. Room 2115.”

It is almost eight before he finally stops by. When May opens the door, she says, “SHIELD’s keeping you pretty busy.”

“Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in paperwork.” He sighs. “Where do you want to go? There are a few places nearby that I know SHIELD agents like to go to.”

“Where do you like to go?”

“Well, I live pretty far away, in Baltimore. All of my favorite places are there.”

She raises her eyebrows at him, then shrugs. “I’d like to see where you live.”

When they get to the SHIELD garage, she raises her eyebrows at him again and smirks. “You drive Lola to work?”

“She’s a car, she’s meant to be driven,” he says.

“Fair enough.” He opens the passenger door for her and she slides in, taking a moment to admire the perfect cherry-red paint and smooth leather seats. Everything looks exactly the same as the first time she had seen it, back when they were at the academy. “But I can’t believe you drive Lola around Baltimore. Aren’t you worried something will happen to her?”

A small smile tilts the corner of his mouth. “I’ve made a few… enhancements.”

She raises her eyebrows at him. “You use SHIELD resources to protect your car?”

Coulson shrugs. “She’s more than just a car to me.”

Immediately May feels bad for teasing him. She remembers how sad he had sounded the first time he told her about working on Lola with his father. She touches his arm. “She looks great, Phil.”

May does not really know enough about cars to judge. But he smiles and says, “Thanks. It’s not easy keeping her nice in the city. I rent a spot in a parking garage, so at least she’s out of the rain and snow, but in the winter the salt the city uses to melt the ice really messes her up.”

As he pulls out of the SHIELD garage and heads towards the freeway, she asks, “Why do you live in Baltimore anyway? Don’t most of the other agents live in DC?”

“They do, but I wanted to be able to put a little distance between SHIELD and me at the end of the day. SHIELD can be so all-consuming. Plus I like Baltimore. It’s old, and it has a lot of history. You know, Baltimore is where Francis Scott Key wrote ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’”

“I know. Also where Edgar Allan Poe died.”

“We can go to the bar where he’s reported to have had his last drink. It’s called The Horse You Came in On. It was founded in 1775.”

May makes a face. “That’s kind of morbid.”

“Fine. I’ll take you some place not linked to any famous deaths. There’s a bar across the street from where they film Homicide: Life on the Streets. Sometimes the actors and crew stop by after they’re done shooting.”

“That sounds like fun.”

Coulson parks on the street a few blocks away from the bar. May gives Lola a lingering look, but Coulson says, “She’ll be fine. She has some extra security features, and anyway this neighborhood isn’t too bad.”

“Not that bad? This is where they film Homicide.”

“If it were really that bad, they wouldn’t be filming here,” he points out. “Come on.”

As they walk to the bar, May admires the neighborhood. She can see why Coulson likes it here. The street is lined with narrow brick rowhouses, the first floors of which have been converted into bars and restaurants. The sidewalk is laid with crumbling red bricks, and the street is paved in gray cobblestones. Aside from the cars, it probably does not look that different from the way it looked a hundred years ago.

The interior of the bar is dimly lit, and everything is dark wood paneling and heavy wooden furniture. They sit at a table in the back and take turns running up to the bar for drinks. Over beers he tells her about his new position at the S.H.I.E.L.D. office, and she tells him about her latest missions. It feels strange having to tell him about them instead of having gone through them together, and she feels a rush of nostalgia and sadness.

He must be feeling the same way, because when she finishes, he sighs and says, “I had read the mission reports, but it’s different hearing about them from you. I feel guilty, like I should have been there with you.” He clears his throat. “But things change. We’re not young agents anymore. S.H.I.E.L.D. decided my talents were better-suited to doing paperwork and managing ops, not going out into the field and needing you to rescue me. But even so, I’ve missed working with you.”

She reaches over and touches his hand. “I’ve missed you too.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. just isn’t the same without you,” he admits. “I’ve been in S.H.I.E.L.D. my entire adult life, but it doesn’t feel like home anymore. Maybe that’s why I decided to live all the way out in Baltimore instead of close to the other agents.”

She tilts her head to one side and gives him a sympathetic smile. “Things change, Phil. But I’m still here. We still see each other. We’re still friends.”

“I know.” He shakes his head a little. “Do you want another round?”

She glances down at their empty glasses. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh. Well then, I suppose I should take you back to temporary housing.”

May knows that she should go back. She has to be on a flight to eastern Europe at 0700 the next morning. But she cannot bring herself to say goodbye to Coulson quite yet. "We don't have to go quite yet. We could take a walk by the bay."

He frowns. "We shouldn't. It's late, and this isn't the best neighborhood."

She rolls her eyes. "You were just telling me that it's fine. Plus, we're S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. We can handle a mugger."

He smiles. "Good point."

Baltimore Harbor is beautiful at night. The moon hangs low over the bay and casts a silvery glow over the street. At first they walk in silence, but when they pause to admire the water, he says, “I’m really glad you’re here.”

She smiles at him. “Me too.”

“You know, you could try to get reassigned here. Lots of specialists are based out of my office. And you’d be closer to your mom.”

“I like where I am. And my mom understands. Before I was born, she traveled all over the world.” She turns away from him and stares out over the water. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life out in the field, but for now that’s where I want to be. Someday I’ll settle down, but not yet.” She glances at him. “Don’t you miss it? Being in a different city every week, never knowing where you’ll be going next or what you’ll be doing.”

“Sometimes. It certainly was exciting.” He sighs. “Maybe I just wanted some place to call home. But I’m not sure that Baltimore really is. Although I do like it here.”

“It’s nice,” she agrees.

“I like being on the water. It reminds me of Manitowoc.”

He sounds so wistful and lonely. Impulsively she moves closer and rubs his back. He stiffens a little in surprise, but then relaxes and leans slightly against her arm.

“Can I see your place?” she asks. “You live near here, right?”

“Sure. But it’s getting late. I should get you back to S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“I’d really like to see it. It seems silly to be this close and not see where you live.”

His apartment is on the second floor of a narrow brick rowhouse. The building is old but well-maintained, with beautiful, shiny hardwood floors and tall windows overlooking the street and the alley behind. May admires the view out of his living room window while he makes them some tea in his tiny kitchen.

“This place looks like you,” she says with a smile when he joins her. She nods towards the Captain America poster on the wall and smirks at him. “Nice decorating job.”

He looks sheepish. “I found it in my old bedroom at my mom’s house. A lot of this stuff is from my mom’s house. I wasn’t sure what else to do with it.”

Truthfully, the room really is not big enough for all of the furniture he has crammed in there. Every surface is covered in pictures, books, and knick knacks. But May is not sure how to say it without hurting his feelings, so instead she says, “Have you ever thought about buying a place?”

“I’ve thought about it, but it’s hard making long-term plans in S.H.I.E.L.D. You never know when you’re going to get reassigned or transferred. I don’t want to buy a place only to get a new job that requires spending nine months out of the year in the field.”

May sighs. “I know what you mean. I’m in the field so much, I’m not even sure when was the last time I went home to my apartment.” She glances at the clock on the wall. “Maybe I should take a cab back to S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s really late, and I don’t want you to have to drive me.”

“You know, you don’t have to go. You could stay here. You can even take the bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I’m not going to kick you out of your own bedroom. But I will take the couch. Thanks.”

Coulson goes into his bedroom and comes back with some sheets, pillows, and blankets, and he makes up the couch while she uses his bathroom to wash up. He has also given her some old clothes to sleep in, and she smiles when she sees the faded S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the T-shirt and matching shorts.

When she gets back to the living room, Coulson has also changed into an old S.H.I.E.L.D. T-shirt and shorts, and she rolls her eyes at him. “Don’t you have any other clothes?”

He shrugs. “They’re leftover from the academy, and they’re comfortable. Face it. S.H.I.E.L.D. owns us.”

May sits down on the couch beside him. “Speak for yourself.”

He snorts. “You just said you can’t remember the last time you went back to your apartment.”

“Being out in the field is my life now, but it won’t always be. When the time is right, I’ll get stationed someplace where I can have a house and life outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

He smiles. “You could get stationed here. We could work together again. Maybe even carpool.”

“I wouldn’t mind driving to work in Lola every day.”

He leans back against the couch. “Well if that’s what it takes to work with you again, I’ll drive you to work every day.”

She smiles. “You’re a good friend, Coulson.”

“So are you. Although I’ll admit I’m surprised to hear you talk about buying a house and having a life outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“Not yet, but someday.” She sighs. “I like traveling the world, but it would nice to have someplace to come home to. Right now I have my mom’s house, but it would be nice to have a place of my own.”

“Well until you do, you know you can always come here.”

She reaches over and squeezes his hand. “Thanks, Phil.”

He smiles at her softly, then clears his throat and says, “Next time we can go to this place on the water that serves whole steamed crabs covered in Old Bay. They have beer with Old Bay in it too.”

May groans. “That sounds terrible.”

“It’s great! It’s a true Baltimore experience.”

Somehow they both lose tracks of time, talking about their old missions and their latest adventures. But finally May looks over Coulson’s shoulder out the window and groans. “Coulson, the sun’s coming up.”

He turns around quickly, then turns back with a sheepish look on his face. “Oops.”

She sighs. “So much for getting a good night’s sleep before my mission.”

“Sorry. Can you sleep on the plane?”

“I’ll try. What about you?”

He grimaces. “I think today is going to require a lot of coffee.”

Two cups of coffee and two cups of tea later, they pull into the S.H.I.E.L.D. garage in Lola. They get out the car, and May swings her bag over her shoulder.

“Thanks for showing me Baltimore.”

He nods. “It was great to see you, May.”

She smiles and then wraps her arms around him. For a moment they just cling to each other, but finally she forces herself to let go.

“Sorry for keeping you up all night,” May says.

Coulson smiles at her. “It was worth it.”


End file.
